NMDC empowers Bastar youth: First batch of 80 tribal candidates achieves 100% placement under skill development program.
Photo Credit: PIB
New Delhi, February 6, 2026: India’s largest iron ore producer, NMDC Limited, has marked a major milestone in its skill development and inclusive growth efforts by felicitating the first batch of 80 youth from the Bastar division, all of whom have successfully completed job-oriented training and secured 100 percent placement.
The program, implemented under NMDC’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, was conducted in partnership with the Central Institute of Petrochemical Engineering & Technology (CIPET).
It is aimed at empowering unemployed and underprivileged tribal youth of Chhattisgarh by equipping them with industry-relevant skills and enabling sustainable livelihoods.
Felicitation ceremony and leadership interaction in the presence of NMDC officials:
The felicitation and interaction session was held in the presence of NMDC’s senior leadership, including Amitava Mukherjee, Chairman & Managing Director, Vinay Kumar, Director (Technical) and Director (Commercial—additional Charge). Joydeep Dasgupta, Director (Production) and Director (Personnel—Additional Charge), P. Shyam, GM (CSR), and B. Ravi, Principal Director, CIPET, along with senior and employees from both organizations.
From Bastar to the workforce:
The trainees hailed from Dantewada, Bastar, Sukma, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, and Bijapur districts, representing families with limited access to formal employment opportunities. Many shared how the training program gave them not only jobs, but also the confidence to step outside their hometowns and begin independent professional lives.
Sukhram, a Class 12th pass youth from Bastar, spoke about growing up amid personal loss and economic hardship.
“I never knew how I would leave my hometown. Today, I am going to work and earn,” he said, calling the opportunity life-changing for his family.
Leadership speaks:
Addressing the gathering, Amitava Mukherjee, Chairman & Managing Director, NMDC, said that seeing Bastar’s youth enter formal employment reaffirmed the transformative power of opportunity.
“This is not just about jobs. It is about young people realizing they belong in the workforce and in the country’s growth story,” he said, adding that skilling youth remains central to building an Atmanirbhar Bastar and a more inclusive Viksit Bharat.
Vinay Kumar, Director (Technical) and Director (Commercial—Additional Charge), highlighted the visible transformation of Chhattisgarh over the years and said NMDC has been a key contributor to the state’s development journey since its inception.
Joydeep Dasgupta, Director (Production) and Director (Personnel—Additional Charge), described the placements as a crucial stepping stone in the students’ lives and encouraged them to continue learning, grow with confidence, and aspire to become future entrepreneurs.
Inclusive design, measurable impact:
The program was designed with inclusive eligibility criteria, requiring a minimum qualification of Class 8, ensuring that school dropouts and youth from economically weaker sections were not excluded. The first batch consisted of 80 sponsored candidates, all of whom have been placed successfully, demonstrating the effectiveness of the initiative.
About the NMDC—CIPET skill development program:
Under its CSR framework, NMDC has partnered with CIPET to provide free skill development training to 500 youth from Dantewada and Bastar districts. Fully funded by NMDC, the program offers training across qualification levels—from short-term operator level courses to diploma and postgraduate diploma programs in plastics technology—with the objective of improving employability and strengthening the local workforce.
EOM.
